Car Camping Gear List

“I am taking my nephew who turns 5 next week car camping for his birthday. His Dad is also going. I was thinking on the way home from work tonight all the stuff I gotta bring. Holy Moly! It is stuff like silverwear, plates, cups, cooler, chairs, two tents, air mattress, beer, lots of food, fishing poles, bait, firewood, beer, s'more stuff, stove, propane, beer, pee bucket for nephew just in case he needs to go in the middle of the night, pillows, sleeping bags, beer...no wonder I'd rather backpack! I don't even know if my car will hold all this sheet plus the two of them and all the beer. Wish me luck, and if I forgot anything above, tell me! It has been YEARS since I have car camped like this. I don't want to disappoint my nephew. His Dad and I will have beer to get us through any disappointments but he only has koolaid.”

“When I plan a car-camping trip, first I think about menus, and write all that stuff down, then I look at each item and think about what I need to cook it and eat it with, and write all that stuff down. Then I mentally go through every other aspect of the day, thinking of things I'll need, and write those things down, including stuff like medicines, bug spray, sunblock, TP, etc. and etc. This process usually results in a pretty exhaustive list.”

“Thanks, Bit. I forgot totally about TP and stuff. Pans, too. God, help me.”

“Yep. Cooking haskbrowns on a stick is a huge pain in the ass, LOLOL

I also do the meals first (chonologically). This also helps to generate the Hardware List and the dreaded Grocery List.

This time of year, I'll stop at a sub shop on the way out and get a whole sub (or two), cut in fourths and individually wrapped to toss in the cooler. And those squeeze-tubes are great for making instant pimento cheese sandwiches (cooking in hot weather is the bane of my existance, LOL).

I generally bite the bullet and get a site with hookups to avoid making trips for water. An extra cooler is handy for stockpiling ice...

yAZ, backpacking is MUCH less hassle!”

“OMG...I think like BIT!!!!!!”

“i takes me about 5 mins to gather up and pack up for car camping.”

“Car camping is a whole'nuther wrelm as backpacking.”

“We have a couple of plastic boxes which holds most of the camp gear. One is specifically for items related to the camp kitchen. We stock the other one with food we wish to take along and some other stuff. The rest of the car camping gear, including the cooler, is on a shelf in the garage. It takes some advanced planning, but it usually only takes me about 10 minutes to pack up and go.

Backpacking is a totally different process. My backpacking gear is mostly packed in clear plastic boxes on shelves in the garage. I lay out what I'll need in a corner of the living room. I'll go through it once again to make sure I have not forgotten anything and to get rid of things I really don't need to take.

Everyone has some sort of system for packing, even if it's throwing everything in the car and packing at the trailhead.”

“"Car camping is a whole'nuther wrelm as backpacking."
Buddur
06:04:35 AM
06/03/04


Its also a whole other realm. ;)


I'm going car camping/canoeing next weekend. It'll be the first time I've spent a night outside in quite some time....I'm not sure how long, exactly. Last spring, perhaps.”

“And, as I meant to say in my last post, any tips you can give to get all that crap packed up will be welcome. :)”

“car camping with kids is different than car camping alone, just like it is for backpacking.
You want the kids to enjoy it, so when you say "backpacking" they're up for it.

I bring a lot of stuff, including lots of extra stuff for the kidlets. Like fleece blankets for sitting around the campfire on the chilly nights. They have little fold out seats like mine.
We do paper plates and plasticwear cause I hate doing dishes.

When I think about what to bring, I first think of need - they need to be warm, fed, and not bug bitten. Then I think fun - fishing, swimming, hiking...

As far as your list goes...add first aid kit, ditch the pee bucket. Just make sure he has food he likes and it should be fine - kids tend to entertain themselves with what's around them. My grandboy (3) brings a few cars and he's busy with them for hours. My grandgirl (5) likes to help out around camp.”

“Thanks for all the tips and reminders! I just called the campground to see if I needed to make reservations. Lo and behold, I do so I did. 38 bucks for two nights for two tents! YIKES! I am just gonna print out this thread and use it as the list1 LOL!”

“Crap Packing Tips...

I have a collection of plastic crates that the car-camping junk lives in --

Blue: water-related (bottles, jugs, etc.)
Red: fire-related (charcoal, firestarter, etc.)
Black: hardware
Green: food and food-related (cups, drink mixes)

I rummage around in them a little from trip to trip, but most of the stuff hardly ever changes.”

“WE - you have some real goot suggestions. I have the whole set up; let me know whatcha need! I have a full set up for four+ , plates, cups, chit like that along with kitchen tools, pans, pots, so please let me know.





what!?! It's what used to be the extent of my outdoor experiance. LOL!

Should I mention that I picked up the Coleman Salmon River Cabin Tent/Command Post? 2 rooms, sleeps up to 12 peeps, the thing displaces 16'x 12'!!.”

“I have a nice check list at home...
I go with my GF and 3 kids so we got everything imaginable covered...
I will dig it uup tonight for ya...
One thing that comes to mind is latern or flashlights...
I have those battery operated coleman laterns for the kids...”

“oh yeah - they love headlamps - and glow sticks serve as great night lights...”

“Oh yeah 2,

I start packing like at least a week in advance. into those rubbermaid containers and a few old big hockey gear bags....

oh yeah 3,

It usually fills the entire back of my full size pick up truck!
And empties my wallet...lol

good luck and have a great time.... ya may wanna bring some hard stuff along with the beer...haha”

“".....fleece blankets for sitting around the campfire on the chilly nights."
twigeater

There are no warm nights in Maine, right?

Don't forget the beer!”

“Jeeeeeeez, Q. I thought I was bad with the 12 x 12 screen tent (with sidewalls/awnings in case of rain).

Hey, it only weighs 60 pounds!



_{(is everyone here but Mike a closet car-camper? LOL)}”

“ha! that's rough the poor kid will only have koolaid...maybe you could slip in some vodka.

KIDDING!! :-)”

“Tilt - I "carry" one of those screen tents too!

I when we used to "tent" camp, the setup looked like a small outpost, complete with mess, and central command.



And yes, I have a privy too!”

“Now we know how lyra snagged Tarpy!”

“I knew it!

lyra is a Koolaid and Vodka chick!”

“how do YOU know what color the crates are, Tilt! ;-)

what am i, chopped liver, bit? LOL.

no, i'm a vodka and vodka chick, Marky Mark. :-D”

“Hey!

That's even better!”

“When I was packing up for the car camping trip to Trail Days, I kept thinking to myself how much easier it is to go backpacking. Kinda makes you wonder how in the world we ever survive without all that junk!”

“They Tell Me those crates are red... LOLOL


hey Q --- have you seen the new Paha Que screen tents?? Half the weight! <G>”

“Is there already a flavored vodka thread?

Absolut Citron?
Grey Goose l'Orange?”

“I went car camping last weekend with my wife, my 2yo son my 80lb black lab and two friends with their 2yo daughter and 5yo son and their 50lb German Shepard puppy. We all went in my GMC Yukon XL with a hitch rack piled with firewood, the grill and a cooler and the inside of the truck cramed full.

I think it was supposed to be relaxing, I don't think I had enough beer.”

“Don't forget the Citron, shotglasses, lemons, sugar and toothpicks for the Penetrators ---”

“mmm, i like the sound of that! i don't drink until after 9:30 in the morning, though.”

“"I think it was supposed to be relaxing, I don't think I had enough beer."
LtHiker
08:38:23 AM

Amen LT
When I go car camping I usually take a day off after it is over to relax, and drink on the deck....
A vacation from vacation...”

“I'll send you the recipe...

Hey, it's already 9:34”

“lyra, it time! >8^O”

“groovtacular!

hey, do you like gin & tonics? i had these really good homemade gin & tonic shooters the other weekend, with lime slices in them! they were super. usually i don't really go for horse hooves and whatnot, but i was already drunk.”

“JELLO shooters, that is! that's where the horse hooves come in...LOL! i'm not drunk yet, i swear.”

“Please explain the "horse hooves" >8^P”

“gelatin...made out of horse hooves...you know!”

“Hmmmmm, I though maybe you heard horse hooves when ya got all likkerd-up.”

“"Hi-ho Silver"? LOL


Gin&Tonnix Jello Shooters?

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ---


[Penetrator Instructions are now in transit to the Yahoo email acct]”

“For goodness sake, Tilt!!!”

“Car camping is pimp!

8)”

“thanks, Tiltypoo!”

“El MarkO has a feeeelthy imagination, LOL”

“Yes ! ! !”

“I usually keep all my gear in the back of my truck so I'm ready to go car camping or bp'ing at a moment's notice. Just have to pack up the food and go!”

“Hey wolfie, if ya need any spare gear for the trip, let me know. I have plenty of car-camping stuff I can lend ya. I have a two burner coleman stove in the basement somewhere.”

“This is sooooooo timely. SOON I'll be car caming for >>A WEEK!<< Plus I'll need backpacking gear for an overnight or two.

I haven't made a list yet, which has me somewhat concerned. I will be taking the BIG OLE WalMart tent you can almost stand up in, as well as the bombproof SD Nightwatch (which I might need if a tornado blows through) Maybe also even take the Zeus 1-person Exo.

I have a queen air mattress (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE **PINK THINGY** But it will also go, to be folded to make a little bed in the back of the Jeep if I need to sleep at a rest stop enroute... and also to put under the luxe mattress.

I'm taking one of those things you put on the floor to lean up against when watching TV. Stuffed and big. And I purchased a battery-operated












FAN AND FLUOURESCENT LIGHT!! (where did your minds go there for a minute??) Runs on 6 "D" batteries. Two speeds for the fan. Somewhat heavy. LOL!

I have the two-burner Coleman and propane. I need to get pans together, athough I'm mostly figuring on eating backpacking-ish meals. I have a battery lantern.

FUN TIP FOR THE KIDS: At least I think it's fun and I'm kinda dopey. Take a Wet Wipes plastic container, be it decorated with flags or smilies or whatever. Put a small battery operated lantern in there for a unique, fun outdoor light. Bright, diffused light with the cool container.

Lesseeee what else...... gosh, I guess I need to remember towels, etc and maybe a hair dryer??? LOL!

Of course I'll have tons of sleeping bags, quilts and blankies. hehehee

Yeah, I better print out this thread!!”

“D-Cells! Alright!!


Yup, those in-between trips can be vexing. Like you'll be BPing, but you'll be seeing SOME car-camping action as well.

These are the lists that try men's souls.”

“Don't forget the make-up and hairspray, lizs! LOL!”